Discussion Guide

Theme
Friendship; Support

Teaching Point
We should support and care for those who are struggling.

Opening Questions
In your time of greatest need, who would be there for you? Who is the person you could call at 3am and know they would help you?

Discussion
It is not a matter of “if” but “when” very difficult times will come for you. In those moments, one of life’s greatest gifts is to have a friend or friends who bring comfort through their presence. Coldplay sings of this as the writer says, “Oh, angels sent from up above, You know you make my world light up, When I was down, when I was hurt, You came to lift me up, Life is a drink, and love’s a drug, Oh now I think I must be miles up, When I was hurt, withered, dried up, You came to rain a flood.” The message is one of contrasts: bringing light into the darkness, raising up the spirits of one who is feeling down, and love being the answer when the drink of life is too potent.

The love and support God calls us to provide during these situations as a supportive friend is far greater and healthier than a drug. We embody the love of Christ as we step into the life of one who is hurting.

Galatians 6:1-3 challenges us with these words, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted. Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.” (NIV) These verses put us into the context of one who has sinned. Our support of the hurting friend is typically for the person who has sinned or is the victim of sin—through other people’s disobedience and the effects of sin in our world (disease, violence, etc.) The Bible calls to “restore gently” and at the same time to be careful we don’t think we are above being in the same situation. As the author Henri Nouwen wrote, in his book by the same title, we are “the wounded healer.”

In addition, the Bible challenges us to “carry each other’s burdens.” In doing so we are not just being nice, we are being obedient to Christ’s commands.

Conclusion
Who needs your support right now? Identify someone you know or may not know who is hurting and begin praying for him or her. Are you hurting? Reach out and let your friends/family support you.